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The best drugs come in small packages

By Graeme O'Neill in Melbourne

A PROCESS that yields drug particles as fine as smoke could relieve a critical shortage of insulin in developing nations. The technique could also enhance the effectiveness of other drugs, as well as allowing them to be delivered in easier ways, such as through skin patches.

A team at Deakin University near Melbourne has shown that people with diabetes may only need a third as much insulin when it comes in the new form. This consists of tiny particles under 100 nanometres across. In tests on rats, 0.15 units per kilogram of body weight produced …